“Senior, may I ask how one can Awaken a Spiritual Root?” When Zhuang Buzhou heard the old man’s words, he already understood that the old man in front of him likely had no particular prejudice against newcomers and was even willing to provide some help, not hoarding basic information about the Cultivation world.
In that case, he might be able to obtain more information from him.
He was eager for it.
With that, he asked the most important question.
As he asked, he reached out and took out a wooden box, handing it to the old man.
The old man took it, opened it casually, and a hint of joy flashed in his eyes as he nodded and said, “Good stuff, Half-Spirit Tea, it contains Spiritual Qi and a trace of divine mystery, though it hasn’t fully transformed yet.
However, this is still a rare good tea.”
He didn’t decline, and with a flick of his hand, he put it away.
“Awakening a Spiritual Root, everyone has a chance, but whether you can truly Awaken it depends entirely on yourself.”
Having received a box of Half-Spirit Tea, the old man seemed to be in a good mood for conversation and didn’t mind offering some help to the newcomer; reciprocity was always a good thing.
If it weren’t for that box of tea leaves, the old man probably wouldn’t have been so willing to communicate.
In some matters, information is the most valuable.
“Please enlighten me, Senior.”
Zhuang Buzhou was overjoyed and continued to inquire.
“The Spiritual Root, in theory, everyone has it within their body.
However, in most people, the Spiritual Root is deeply hidden and difficult to detect.
Some Awaken on their own after reaching a certain age; these can be called Geniuses among Cultivators.
Of course, those who Awaken later are not necessarily inferior to those Geniuses who can Awaken on their own.
The Spiritual Root determines the potential for growth.
The Spiritual Root is the foundation of a Cultivator.”
The old man, having accepted the tea leaves, spoke without reservation, recounting everything he knew.
Theoretically, everyone has a Spiritual Root, but for some, the Spiritual Root is too weak, and without an unexpected Opportunity, it simply cannot Awaken.
This is talent, this is Aptitude.
“Does the Spiritual Root have grades?”
Zhuang Buzhou asked.
“Of course, the Spiritual Root grades are divided into Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow.
Yellow Rank is the lowest, and Heaven Rank is the highest.
It is said that there are even higher grades above Heaven Rank, but whether they exist is beyond my knowledge.
Everyone’s initial Spiritual Root grade upon Awakening is Yellow Rank, and each rank is divided into nine grades.
Ninth Grade is the lowest, and First Grade is the highest.
The grade can be improved through tempering and cultivation.
Initially, it’s Yellow Rank Ninth Grade, which can be raised to Yellow Rank First Grade.
It is rumored that there is a grade above First Grade, which is Peerless Grade.
If one advances to Yellow Rank Supreme Grade, the Spiritual Root will inevitably transform into Profound Rank.
There is no possibility of failure.
However, some Spiritual Roots have limited potential; once they reach a certain level, they can no longer be improved.”
“For example, if it improves to Yellow Rank Third Grade and can no longer be raised to Second Grade, in this situation, one either seeks top-tier treasures that can break the limit and elevate it to Second Grade, or one prepares to advance to Profound Rank.
And this advancement carries risks; there’s a possibility of failure.
Once it fails, it’s possible that it can never be improved again, and the Spiritual Root becomes permanently fixed at the Yellow Rank level.”
“Senior, what is a Spiritual Root?”
Zhuang Buzhou was secretly shaken and asked again.
“A Spiritual Root is destiny, it’s a treasure, and it’s the foundation of cultivation.
With a Spiritual Root, one can directly absorb the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
The higher the Spiritual Root grade, the faster the Spiritual Qi absorption speed, and the greater the benefits to oneself.
Moreover, the Spiritual Root is a treasure, a supreme Innate treasure.
It can grow with oneself and can give rise to Divine Abilities, connected to one’s life.”
The old man said with a solemn expression.
From his words, there was no doubt about the importance of the Spiritual Root.
Most importantly, the Spiritual Root is cultivated Acquiredly.
For example, if two people both Awaken a blade-shaped Spiritual Root, but cultivate it differently, the abilities they ultimately develop will differ.
Some might become sharper, others might gain ice attributes, and so on.
In the Cultivation world, there’s a saying: there isn’t a single Spiritual Root that is absolutely identical.
Zhuang Buzhou silently took all of this to heart.
He didn’t understand it now, but he would naturally comprehend it in the future.
“Please continue, Senior.”
Zhuang Buzhou continued to listen.
“There are two methods to Awaken a Spiritual Root.
One is for you to Breakthrough to the Innate Realm yourself.
During the Breakthrough, if you cannot Awaken a Spiritual Root, you will open a Profound Heaven Aperture and become a complete Innate Martial Artist.
If you have a Spiritual Root and can Awaken it, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi will wash over your body and help you Awaken the Spiritual Root.
This is one method.”
“The other is through external objects, Qi Awakening Talisman, Qi Awakening Medicinal Pill, or even Qi Awakening elixirs, all of which can assist in Awakening.
But whether it succeeds still depends on oneself.”
The old man said after taking a deep look at Zhuang Buzhou.
“May I ask, Senior, do you have a Qi Awakening Talisman?”
Zhuang Buzhou asked with a hint of anticipation.
“Yes, but a Qi Awakening Talisman is not cheap.
One costs a thousand taels of silver.”
The old man said with a smile.
He wasn’t surprised by this; anyone who knew these things would yearn for a Qi Awakening Talisman.
However, a Qi Awakening Talisman doesn’t guarantee success; whether one can Awaken still depends on whether one possesses the Aptitude.
A thousand taels, converted to symbol coins, is one hundred copper symbol coins.
Which is one silver talisman coin.
Where would Zhuang Buzhou have a thousand taels? His entire fortune combined was only three hundred taels, a rather significant difference.
“Newcomer, you can exchange it for the tea leaves you just gave me.
You give me a box of that tea, and I’ll exchange a Qi Awakening Talisman for you,” the old man said with a chuckle.
“Good!!”
Zhuang Buzhou heard this and didn’t bargain, agreeing directly.
Tea leaves can regenerate, but if he missed this Qi Awakening Talisman, he didn’t know when he would get another chance.
As for advancing to the Innate Realm, it wasn’t that easy; even reaching the Acquired Peak still required an Opportunity.
“Boy, you truly have courage.”
The old man heard this, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
He then took out a wooden box.
Inside the box, there was indeed a green Spirit Talisman, on which one could clearly feel traces of Spiritual Qi flowing.
This was a Qi Awakening Talisman.
Once used, it could put oneself into a unique Qi Awakening state.
At that time, if one was lucky, one could naturally find their own Spiritual Root and Awaken it.
That would be a force of Qi Awakening.
“Thank you for your generosity, Senior.”
Zhuang Buzhou said with a smile.
Although he paid the corresponding price, being able to substitute it with tea leaves was already considered a preferential treatment.
“Heh heh, boy, let me give you a piece of advice: when Awakening your Qi, don’t forget your dreams.
Open this note when you get back.”
The old man said meaningfully.
Then he handed over a piece of paper.
“Thank you for the Senior’s guidance.”
Zhuang Buzhou thanked him solemnly again.
He carefully took the note.
“Boy, look around more here, it will be good for you.
However, look more, speak less, and act less,” the old man reminded him again.
“Thank you.”
Zhuang Buzhou nodded, expressing his gratitude.
Looking at Zhuang Buzhou’s retreating figure, the old man showed a hint of surprise.
He took out the box of tea leaves, took a deep breath, smelled the faint tea fragrance, and sighed, “Good tea, truly good tea.
Half-Spirit Tea is also quite valuable in the Cultivation world; one tael can be worth a thousand gold.
It’s just a pity it’s not true Spirit Tea.
Otherwise, its value would be extraordinary.
Spirit Tea is the most precious thing; drinking it is not only an excellent experience but also a great enjoyment, and it doesn’t have the drug resistance of Medicinal Pills.”
Most importantly, it’s rare, extremely rare.
Even Half-Spirit Tea is scarce, let alone true Spirit Tea.
They often possess extremely special effects.
A price of one tael being comparable to a thousand taels of silver is absolutely fair.
Most importantly, even if you have the money, you might not be able to buy it.
This was the key point.
At the trade fair, no one was shouting.
Everyone simply displayed the items they wanted to sell in front of them.
If you wanted something, you would speak up and negotiate.
If the price was right, the transaction would be settled immediately.
It was direct and very clean.
Zhuang Buzhou was very familiar with this; in his previous life in the antique business, this method of transaction was commonplace.
Once a deal was made, the goods and payment were cleared.
Afterward, whether it was a bargain or a misjudgment, it was one’s own responsibility.
He carefully looked at the surrounding stalls and felt greatly enlightened.
At the stalls, there was a wide variety of strange and wonderful things.
There were tree roots from unknown places, cut-out paper figures, folded paper cranes, crafted paper horses, and so on.
There were also painted portraits, various Magical Artifacts that had been refined, and so on, all of which were refreshing.
However, Zhuang Buzhou also upheld the excellent tradition of observing more and acting less, so he didn’t buy anything at the trade fair.
After all, his family fortune had never been abundant.
“Eh?”
Just then, Zhuang Buzhou let out a surprised sound, looking at a stall in front of him.
The items displayed on the stall were somewhat peculiar.
There was a rusty copper lamp, a writing brush, a red comb, and an exquisite hair ornament.
“What are these?”
Zhuang Buzhou stopped curiously and asked.
“cursed relics.”
The stall owner appeared to be a middle-aged man, and he spoke calmly.
“What are cursed relics?”
Zhuang Buzhou asked without shame.
“You don’t even know what cursed relics are.
You must be a newcomer.”
The stall owner glanced at Zhuang Buzhou and immediately understood.
However, he didn’t pay too much attention; the number of newcomers was always the largest.
“cursed relics are said to come from the Guixu Sea among the Three Great Seas.
Each one contains various curses.
However, by holding a cursed relic and signing a contract with it, one can possess the power of the cursed relic and unleash powerful strength.
It’s just that each use must bear the backlash of the curse.
Once one cannot withstand it, the cursed relic will devour the contractor, which is the host.
Many people who cannot Awaken a Spiritual Root choose to contract a cursed relic to become a Cultivator.
Such Cultivators find it very difficult to truly grow.
Accompanied by invisible curses, no one knows how long they can live, and their lifespans are often very short.
They seek to gain power and are called Spirit Masters.”
He did not choose to conceal information about cursed relics.
This was an alternative path of cultivation.
It offered those unable to Awaken a Spiritual Root a chance to become a Cultivator.
